New Delhi, Nov. 21: The Supreme Court today admitted an appeal by the Centre challenging the stay order of the Karnataka High Court on the notification of the new Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2002, but continued its stay on the very notification. A division bench of Chief Justice V. . Khare and Justice S. B. Sinha reiterated that its earlier stay order on the operation of the DPCO will continue while admitting the government's appeal for hearings.

Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee said it was a “misconceived apprehension” that many life-saving drugs were not included in the national list of essential drugs and that the government retained the power to include any drug in the list at any point of time.